Oriana Fallaci strongly believed that the famous words Neil Armstrong said when he first stepped on the moon, “one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind,” were not his own, but part of a script written by NASA.
A few weeks after the moon landing, Oriana got the chance to talk about it with Charles “Pete” Conrad, the astronaut chosen to command Apollo 12, while staying at his family’s home.
Conrad tried to explain to her that NASA didn’t and wouldn’t make astronauts say pre-written phrases, but Oriana didn’t believe him. So, he told her he could prove it once he reached the moon.
“Impossible,” replied Oriana, “they won’t let you say what you want.” To make a point, Pete, who often joked about being the shortest astronaut at 1.67 meters (compared to Armstrong’s 1.80), decided to bet her $500.
On November 19, 1969, when Conrad landed on the moon, he set foot on the lunar surface and shouted, “Whoopie! Man, that may have been a small one for Neil, but that’s a long one for me.”
Later, Conrad said he never cashed in on the bet.